Intensive Chinese Study

Yah, find some other excuse to be in China and use Chinesepod intensively. In all seriousness.

It's hard to answer that question without further information, such as: Are you a complete beginner, or do you have some Chinese learning background? Also, are money and time no object (can you spend many thousands of dollars and eight hours a day), or do you have a budget and a life? Are you willing to be in a place where few people speak English and the Mandarin is very standard (such as Harbin), or do you need a more Westernized environment like Shanghai? Actually, a better place to ask might be http://www.chinese-forums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39 , because the folks who hang out here (ChinesePod) tend to be more oriented towards online study rather than classrooms. Also, you might not need to actually go to China. For instance, Middlebury College in Vermont might be a viable choice, their language programs have a good reputation. In Beijing, one place you could try is Diqiucun (地球村) in Wudaokou, which is a non-academic school with dirt-cheap fees and a good reputation. However, their website is in Korean and their staff only speaks Chinese, so it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem to sign up for classes... they do have some Western students though.